Echo
by Kaleidoscope Machine
Summary: Set after 'What Women Want'. Addison/Noah


A/N: Okay, so I know there are a lot of mixed feelings over these two, but I happen to love them. Their chemistry is just so amazing, I can't help it! So I had to get this down after 'What Women Want'. Originally I was going to add a little Pete/Addison in here too but I changed it to mostly friendship with slight shippy undertones.

Also if anyone read my other fic for Bones, 'He's More Than a Fan', I ended up deleting it because it was so outdated and I completely lost where I was going with it. Hopefully I'll write something for them again soon.

Thanks SO SO much to Miranda for looking over this!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. It's quite sad really...

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The click of her heels echo through the quiet halls of the hospital as she nervously runs a hand through her hair. She hasn't seen him since she'd admitted her feelings and she was avoiding another confrontation. The right thing would have been to keep quiet, to let him believe she didn't feel the same pull towards him as he felt for her. But in that moment his proximity had clouded her thoughts and shut off her ability to filter, so she'd found herself walking away - again.

She rounds the corner and stops at the nurses' station to pick up Morgan's charts. Flipping through the pages, the words and numbers jumble together as she stares blankly at her patient's levels. Maybe she should reconsider befriending patients before knowing the amount of baggage that will follow. That way she wouldn't have to give every test result in person. That way she wouldn't have to keep facing the man who'd breached the walls she'd carefully constructed. She sighs and looks up at the clock behind the nurses' desk. She'd been with Pete at Maclin's, their local bar, when she'd gotten the call.

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_Throwing her cell phone back in her clutch, she sighs with a sideways glance at Pete. _

_He gives her a lopsided smile and slides his drink in front of her. "Looks like you need this more than I do."_

_She chuckles and runs her finger around the rim. "I've got to go check on Morgan."_

_"Your patient with the husband that's in love with you?" he asks with a grin creeping up his handsome face._

_"YOU are having too much fun with this!" she exclaims as he motions to the bartender for another drink. _

_"Seriously Pete. What am I supposed to do? She's my patient, and he's married and going to have a kid. In what universe is it okay for me to care about this guy?" The dark liquid sitting in front of her looks mighty appealing as she brings the glass up to her eyes to watch the amber hues as it sloshes against its confines. _

_"Listen Addie," he starts when a beer is set in front of him. "You formed some kind of relationship with this guy. For three months you talked and flirted. You built these feelings for him before you knew he was married. Did you really think those feelings would just go away?"_

_She ducks her head and takes a sip of her drink, relishing the burn that travels down her throat. _

_"From what you told me when you first met him, he doesn't seem like the kind of guy to cheat on his wife for anyone. I mean as wrong as it may be, I think he really does care about you." _

_She scoffs and sets the glass down with more force than necessary. "So just because we feel something it's okay for him to cheat on his wife and for me to hurt my patient?" _

_Pete turns on his barstool and looks her straight in the eye. "No. I don't think you should give into this, but not because of the vows you both took. You know my view on the sanctity of marriage," he says lightly with a poke to her side. _

_She smiles at his attempt to lighten her mood. She is really thankful for Pete these last few months. Ever since that night with Archer and Naomi at dinner, he'd been there for her. He was a friend she'd never really expected to have, but he'd seen her need for someone to lean on and had gladly offered to be her rock. _

_He sighs contently and pulls her delicate hand into his. "I don't think you should fall for this guy because you deserve so much more, Addie. He may be a great guy, but nothing about this situation will come out nicely. Things will get messy and you'll get hurt. After everything you've been through I just... You just deserve more." _

_She feels the tears welling in her eyes and tries to discretely blink them away. "Since when have you been such a softy?" she asks as he plays with her bracelet. _

_"Ah that's a secret I only share with special people." He winks, his eyes twinkling in the soft light. "I just want the best for you. Sometimes I still wish that would mean me, but you deserve more than I could ever give you." _

_She softly squeezes his hand and smiles sweetly. Sometimes, in moments like these, she wishes things had worked out with them. She knows it's because she's the marrying kind and he can't go down that road again. It was something she'd learnt to get over and now look at them. _

_"So now I'm just gunna look out for you - kill any guy that tries to mess with you." _

_He has her laughing again and she momentarily forgets why he had needed to comfort her in the first place. She pulls her hand from his and finishes her drink before standing up. Placing a hand on his shoulder she leans in and kisses his cheek."Thank you for being my friend Pete."_

_"Any time Montgomery. Just be careful. I want you to have fun, but if he's just gunna hurt you it's not worth it." _

_She squeezes his shoulder and walks out of the bar, hailing a cab to take her to the hospital. _

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Twelve o'clock. She could be out with Pete still, or even better, curled up in bed where the troubles of her day couldn't find her. Instead she's strumming her fingers against the counter, waiting for the nurse who had called her. Hearing footsteps her heart starts pounding in her chest and she clamps her eyes closed. 'Please don't be him,' she thinks over and over. When she feels the person standing behind her she opens her eyes and turns. At the sight of the nurse she lets out the breath she had been holding and smiles.

"I'm sorry for calling you so late Dr. Montgomery, but she kept insisting that you be the one to update her."

"It's fine Amy, and please call me Addison." She smiles and picks the chart up off the counter.

"Sounds good," Amy replies with a small smile of her own. "Do you want a coffee? I was just about to go get one myself."

"Sure that'd be great. I'm just gunna go check on Morgan and give her the test results." With that she walks away from the desk and down the hall to stand in front of Morgan's room. The blinds are drawn slightly, but she can still see in through the dim lighting. Morgan is lying in bed watching the tv and there in the corner of the room sits Noah, sleeping soundly in the guest chair. She would go in, give the test results, check on Morgan, and leave again before he woke up. Solid in her plan she takes a deep breath and quietly opens the door to enter.

At the sight of her doctor, Morgan's face lights up and she turns off the tv. "Hi Dr. Montgomery."

"Hey Morgan, how are you feeling?" she whispers.

"Oh not too bad. My back's hurting a bit so I can't sleep. He doesn't seem to have that problem," she says as she looks over at her husband, a sweet smile playing over her face.

Addison looks over at Noah and the calm that overtakes his features as he sleeps. For a moment she smiles at how peaceful and young he looks, but remembering his wife sitting in front of her she clears her throat quietly and opens up her clipboard. "We ran a few extra tests to make sure you responded to treatment for your kidneys and it seems everything is fine and where it should be."

Morgan sits up straight and hums in relief. "That's good. So everything is fine now?"

"Well, your levels are normal, but I'll keep monitoring you and the baby to make sure everything goes smoothly okay?"

Morgan nods and runs a hand lovingly over her belly.

"Do you have any more concerns or pain anywhere?" Addison asks.

"Nope. Just the pain in my back, but that's normal right?"

"Yeah, that's normal. I can tell the nurse to get something for it when I leave if you like."

"Oh that would be perfect. I don't wanna lose any more sleep. Noah will just start worrying." Morgan chuckles and glances back over at her husband. "I think things have been hard for him lately. He had a rough case a little while ago that hit him hard. You know what that's like I'm sure," she asks Addison.

"Yes I know what it's like." Addison looks over at Noah and feels a pull at her heart, knowing how much his wife cares for him.

"He's been a bit off because of it I think, but he's still so supportive. Do you think you could talk to him? I know it's not part of your job, but I think only another doctor could understand it."

Addison is taken back by the request and stumbles for an answer. "I- I don't know Morgan, I barely know him. I don't think he'd appreciate a near stranger asking him something so personal," she mutters, looking down at the charts in her hands and then the wall beside her, anywhere but at him.

"I think it'd really help him. And really you're not a stranger. I think he likes you. I don't think he would've gotten you back here if he didn't trust your medical judgment."

Addison's eyes dart up to her patient's, but sees no sign that Morgan knows anything. She closes the clipboard and backs towards the door. "I'll think about it. Now you try and rest and I'll get the nurse to find something for your back."

"Alright Dr. Montgomery. And thank you for coming in so late. I just don't trust anyone as much as you." Morgan smiles innocently at her doctor and then shifts to go to sleep.

Addison turns and slips out, not before looking one last time into the room to see Noah's eyes looking back at her. She gasps and walks quickly away from the room and back towards the nurses' station where Amy sits typing at the computer.

"Oh hey Addison, I got you a coffee with cream. Hope that's okay?"

Addison gulps, trying to slow her racing heart. "Yeah that's fine," she says, taking the cup from the nurse in exchange for Morgan's chart. "Listen Amy could you get an ice pack down to Morgan for her back?"

"Sure thing. Have a good night."

Addison waves goodnight and makes her way back down the hall towards the exit. She makes it halfway before hearing her name yelled behind her. She doesn't need to turn around to know who it is and chooses to ignore him. Stepping quickly through the doors she starts to walk down the street, opening her clutch to look for cab fare. While pushing aside her make-up she realizes she'd used the last of her cash to get here and is now stranded in the parking lot with a married man in pursuit. With a hollow laugh she looks up at the sky thinking this moment couldn't get any worse.

"Addison!"

'Oh great.' She glances back to see Noah jogging through the parking lot towards her. Her eyes dart around in desperation, hoping an escape will show itself, but of course nothing happens and she's stuck when he finally catches up to her. He's barely out of breath and has that look on his face that makes her knees shake; makes him hard to resist.

"I haven't seen you in a couple days," he says softly, his eyes warm and inviting.

"Well I've been busy at the practice and-"

"Avoiding me?" he interrupts.

"Don't flatter yourself, Noah. I've just been busy." That's a complete lie that she knows he can see through.

"Do you need a ride home?" he asks hopefully.

She quirks an eyebrow and reaches back into her clutch, this time in search of her cell. "Not from you. You should just go back inside to your wife, okay?" She's begging now and it annoys her that he renders her so helpless, so far from the strong woman she likes to believe she is. She flips open the phone and hits a speed dial.

"Come on Addison, my car is right over there. I can take you home faster than you having to wait for whoever you're calling. I swear I'll behave." It seems he's not above begging, himself.

The phone rings a few times before the other end finally picks up.

"_Hello? Addison?"_

"Pete? Are you busy?" Her voice is on the verge of breaking and Pete can hear the emotions bubbling towards the surface.

"_No, no I'm not. What's wrong?_" He's worried and it's almost soothing to hear.

"I'm at the hospital and I have no cash for a cab. Can you come pick me up?"

"Addison, I have money if you don't want me to drive you. Please, just let me help," Noah says as he steps closer before Addison raises her hand to stop him.

"_Is that him? He's there with you?"_

"Yes. Can you please come?"

"_Sure Addie. I'll be there in ten okay?" _

She nods her head and says 'okay' before hanging up. The phone slips back in her bag easily and she walks over to a bench to wait.

"Why did you do that? I could have driven you... or given you the money." He shuffles over and sits down close to her.

"I don't need you to help me Noah. Why can't you just leave? I'm too tired to deal with this." She takes a sip of her coffee and stares off across the lot of cars.

"I care about you Addison and I know you care too. That's why I can't leave."

She turns her head away from him and tries to fight the tears that threaten to fall. Tears of longing, frustration, and exhaustion. She feels so fragile when his hand cups her chin and gently pulls her to face him.

"I'm not a bad guy. I'm just a guy that fell in love."

She sniffles and a small sob escapes her when he runs his thumb across her cheek to catch her tears. "There's a woman in there that thinks you love _her_."

He sighs and looks briefly at the hospital door, then turns back to her sad eyes with an intense gaze. "I think we go through our lives searching for the one. That one person that completes you in every way. But sometimes we're looking so hard, we pick the wrong person...and the one we're meant for is waiting around the corner. You're the one I'm supposed to be with... but I'm with Morgan, I know that. I know it's wrong to be sitting by her bedside, thinking about another woman. I know it seems rash to say 'I love you' after only three months. But Addison, I _know_ I'm meant to be with you. I know it so deeply it burns. It hurts to not be with you." He takes in a shaking breath and presses his forehead against hers. "I'm so confused about everything. Everything... except for how I feel about you. That I'm completely clear on," he chuckles half-heartedly.

She closes her eyes, unable to withstand his pleading tone. He brings his other hand up to cradle her face.

"I want to be with _you_ Addison. I'll stay by Morgan through the pregnancy, but then I'll tell her the truth. That it'd be wrong to stay." She whimpers and he pulls her closer so his lips are barely a breath away.

"I love you Addison Montgomery," he whispers against her lips before tilting her head into a slow kiss.

She knows she should stop it. She knows Pete was right and that she'll only get hurt, but his lips are warm and his kisses send chills right down to her toes. If only she wasn't so emotionally drained she may have had the strength to stop, but he's running his hand down her back and all she can think about is how much she wants him. Without the energy to fight it, she threads her fingers through his hair and pulls him closer with a moan. The sound of her surrender is all he needs to turn his soft kisses into that of a man desperately in need. He needs her in every way, pulling her as close as physically possible; nipping at her bottom lip to pull another moan out of her exquisite mouth. Her hands begin to roam in a need to memorize every part of him, finally escaping under his shirt to feel the rippling muscles of his back. His mouth leaves hers with a ragged breath and travels down her neck to place feather light kisses behind her ear. He sets every nerve in her body on fire and she digs her nails into his back at the sensory overload.

"Noah please," she begs breathlessly. "We can't do this." His hand moves languidly down her side, moving down past her hip to creep slowly past the hem of her midnight blue dress; landing on her thigh to trace circles against her skin. "Then stop me," he replies against her neck.

She tries to say stop but the words won't pass her lips so she lays her head on his shoulder, shivering at his touch. Her fingers are back in his hair, tugging."Please..."

He raises his head to look into her eyes. She sees every emotion in his face- a sadness mixed with an awe that's indescribable.

Her gaze flutters down to his lips and she surprises him. "Kiss me," she whispers.

He moves forward again, this time his lips hesitant against hers, afraid she'll run away. She's close to losing herself completely when a headlight illuminates the lot and the two break apart. They look at each other, breathless and unsure. She glances behind her to see Pete pulling up on his motorcycle. Without looking back she gets up and walks away from the bench, leaving her coffee cold and abandoned on the ground. When she reaches him, Pete flips open his visor and unhooks the extra helmet he has on the back of the bike. He notices the tears now freely falling down her face and quickly glares over at the stone still Noah.

"What did he do?" he asks with a foreign menace.

"Nothing. He didn't do anything. Can you just drive me home now?" her voice flat even to her own ears. His eyes finally leave the man on the bench and he carefully places the helmet over her short hair. He pulls down her visor and when she's gotten herself situated on the bike, he wraps her arms around him and drives smoothly out of the lot and away from the bench where Noah sits with his head in his hands.

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She keeps her head tucked securely against his back the whole way home. His heart broke when he felt the heavy sobs vibrating through his jacket, but now it seems she has fallen into an almost sleep, no doubt from exhaustion. He slows the bike down in front of her house and squeezes her hands to tell her she's home. Lifting her head slowly, she manages to move her lethargic body off the motorcycle. He slides off effortlessly after her and reaches to remove her helmet before removing his own and placing them both down on the seat.

Inhaling sharply, he looks over her tear streaked face. He feels like driving back to that hospital and beating the shit out of this guy, but the look on Noah's face as they drove off told Pete everything. Seeing her leave was probably torture enough. He can't deny that he feels sorry for him. This woman is beautiful in every sense of the word and he knows firsthand what it's like to watch her walk away. He only hopes she can get through it.

Grabbing her hand he walks her to the door and waits for her to open it. When she doesn't move he takes her purse and rummages for her keys before opening the door. A gentle nudge and she moves past him into the house, climbing the stairs towards her room without a word. Pete watches, unsure whether to follow or just lock up and leave. '_What if she needs me? What if she's hurt more than I thought_?' Decidedly, he closes the door behind him and follows the path she took up the stairs. The first room he finds has the door wide open to reveal a bedroom he guesses is Addison's. He walks in timidly, afraid he'll get yelled at for following her. When he sees no sign of her he panics briefly before hearing water being turned on behind a second door that must be her bathroom. He fidgets unsurely before deciding to sit on her bed to wait. Looking around her room he takes in her vanity, covered with varying bottles of perfume and make-up. On the other side of the room a pair of double doors stand open to a closet packed with bright clothes and no doubt expensive shoes. He chuckles that her closet is exactly how he pictured it and doesn't hear the other door open.

"What are you laughing at?" she asks quietly.

"You have a lot of clothes," he chuckles. When she gives him a small smile he feels reassured that eventually she'll be okay. He knows she's a strong woman, but he can't help worrying over her heart.

She's changed into a tank and pajama pants and her feet trudge forward with effort to climb under the covers next to him.

"Do you need me to stay Addison?"

She is still for a moment before reaching behind her and pulling back the covers silently. He nods and begins to take off his shoes. Slowly, he crawls up the bed and under the covers to spoon against her back.

"Don't worry. Everything will turn out okay."

"I'm an adulterer, Pete. Some things never change."

He places a kiss against her hair and reaches back to turn off the light. In the morning she'll thank him again and they'll go on with their day as if he'd never had to hold her while she cried herself to sleep.

FIN


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